Tough Times on a Tough Girl
by TLFScarheart12
Summary: Requested by the reviewer Hope this is funny enough : Nya is working in the blacksmith shop trying to raise money as usual when she suddenly gets a plethera of strange and demanding customers. Nya tries to tough it out, but can't help but wonder what's really going on.
1. Chapter 1: Running the Shop

Nya looked up from a dagger she had just finished making and was polishing. An elderly customer had walked into the shop and was looking around.

Nya gave a polite smile, "Welcome! Anything in specific you're looking for?" she asked.

"Yes young…by the god's a woman smith. Didn't happen when I was your age, I'll tell you that." The old man said, eyeing Nya.

"They're still pretty rare. Rest assured, I can make weapons just as well as any man can," Nya said.

She was getting used to comments like this. Back when it was Kai and herself, customers would often talk to Kai not knowing that she was actually the better blacksmith. Now that Kai had gone off to be a ninja, many customers, especially older ones, were surprised to see a teenage girl running the place and making the weapons.

"Heh! World sure is changing. Anyway, I'm looking for a kabuto helmet for my grandson's birthday. He's very into samurais," The old man said.

Kabuto helmets. Nya was running low, but she still had a couple left.

"Of course, sir," she said going back to fetch one.

She no longer had them on display because she was running out, but she would get them out on request.

She returned with the helmet and set it down in front of the customer.

"I have two more that are slightly different. Tell me what you think of this one, and we'll go from there." Nya said still smiling politely.

The customer however stopped smiling.

"Young lady, I asked for a kabuto helmet. My grandson wants to learn to fight with one. You can't cut a man in half with this silly hat. You need a nice sharp carved sword like a kabuto helmet."

He means a katana sword! Nya realized.

That was the other thing about elderly customers. They could be very absent minded. Sometimes they'd say they wanted one thing and accually mean something completely different.

"Oh a kabuto helmet! I'm sorry. I misheard you," Nya said, telling a white lie, "Wait here. I'll fetch what you're really after."

Nya walked into the backroom again. There were katanas on display, but it was best in these situations to just give the customer special benefits.

At least I was lucky this time, Nya thought, sometimes older customers would just yell what they want with no indicator of what they mean. This time he described his order.

Some were even worse. They could not make up with mind of what they wanted.

Not all older customers were like this, of course. In fact at least 50% of them were nice and patient. Wonderful customers! But, those who were like this one were hard to handle.

She wrapped one of the katanas in a cloth and brought it out for the customer.

"Is this what you wanted?" she asked.

"That's it!" The old man exclaimed happily.

Nya gave a quiet sigh of relief but still regained her good nature.

The two discussed price and within 5 minutes Nya was happily putting away a good sum of money. At this point she was about half way of having enough to hire someone to help her close the store so that she could join her brother and boyfriend.

Her thoughts were interrupted by cackling from outside. Nya frowned and looked out the window it came from but she didn't see anyone.

She shrugged. Maybe she just imagined it.

She returned to the forger and picked up the dagger and started polishing again.

Soon, I'll have my own weapons to polish, she thought happily. Old men can be surprised, not at a female blacksmith but at a female ninja. Or maybe something even better! Who knows? I just can't wait to find out.

"Still I miss not even being able to see them," she said to herself.

The ninjas were in the forest of tranquility doing survival training. Nya wanted to join them, but there would be gone for several weeks, and Nya had to run the shop.

So, for now, wait she had to do.


	2. Chapter 2: A Customer is a Customer

Nya woke up early the next morning, as she did most mornings. It gave her plenty of time to make sure the shop was in ship shape before she opened it.

Everything on display was shining brightly and free of dents. Swords and shurikans were sharp. Shelves were dusted as was the counter. Nya smiled and opened the doors.

It wasn't long until a group of customers came in. Nya immediately saw that they were strange. They wore long kimonos with hoods and masks. Not even their eyes could be seen. At first Nya wondered if it was the ninjas playing a joke on here, but they weren't due back for two more weeks. Besides there were four ninjas and five covered figures.

Well, Nya thought, dad always said a customer is a customer. No matter how strange they should all be treated equally.

"Welcome," Nya said smiling her usual up beat smile, "Is there anything special you're looking for?

"Five bowls of shrimp ramen to go!" said one of the strange men in a gravelly voice.

Nya did a double take, "I'm sorry?"

"Five bowls of shrimp ramen to go! Come on! You want our money don't you?" the man said again taking out a bag.

Nya sighed, "5 shrimp Ramens it is…"

She headed up to the small kitchen and managed to find just enough ingredients to make such an order.

While the soup cooked she searched the kitchen finally finding five wooden plates. I guess I'm only feeding myself these days, anyway. I don't need all the extra plates, she thought.

When the soup was finished Nya distributed it into the five bowls and brought them down.

"Here you are sorry for the wait." She said keeping her smile.

The strange men put the bag on the counter and walked off with the bowls.

No need to thank me or anything, Nya thought sarcastically.

Nya was about to count out what was in the bag when 6 more customers came in. these ones were covered just like the last ones except they were in silver. The others had been in black.

"Welcome!" Nya said again smiling, "Anything specific you're looking for?"

"We heard this place sells some of the finest jewelry." said the strange customer. His voice was similarly gravely as the man before, but had more of a tenor voice.

"You did?" Nya asked quickly slipping off and hiding her bracelet. She had plans for that and anyway it was all she had from her mother. She wouldn't sell it for all the money in Ninjago.

"Yes indeed. Won't you show me your wares?" the customer asked.

"Um…of course…" Nya said barely managing to hold her smile, "Let me go get them."

Nya headed back into her home thinking fast. She was sure her mother wore jewelry when she was alive, but she had no clue where they would be now. Then she thought about the jewelry she used to make when her father was first teaching her how to smith. She had kept those for old times' sake. But she never wore them.

Quickly she went to her room and got out the box they were in. They silver and gold were obviously crafted into their shapes by an amateur. They were bulky twisted, and had weird shapes coming out of them.

I was really once this bad? Nya thought. They looked like something her brother would make.

"I guess it's all in the presentation," Nya sighed.

She took the box down and displayed the jewels.

"Oh my! They look magnificent!" said the customer.

"Only the best things made here," said Nya making herself sound much more confident then she was feeling.

"We'll take the lot!" the customer exclaimed taking the box and leaving a bag 3 times as big as the last one. They he left before Nya could say another word.

Nya gave a tired sigh. She then closed the shop doors. She needed to eat lunch before she could deal with anyone else. Too tired to cook anything, she found some leftover seaweed salad and ate that.

I wish Kai was here, Nya thought, back when it was the two of us, Kai always knew which customers just meant trouble and how to turn them away.

Nya was assertive when she needed to be, but sometimes struggled to know when she needed to be. Besides, her way of asserting herself normally required going behind people's backs. Not a possible suggestion right now.

"It can't get any worse," Nya said trying to cheer herself up, "And they are paying me for these. Yeah it's a little strange, but a customer is a customer."

After lunch Nya re opened the store and braced herself.

Before long another covered man stepped in. He was much bigger than the others had been as well as hunched over.

"Welcome!" Nya said brightly, though she was certainly feeling less bright than she sounded, "Looking for anything in particular?"

"I require 50 kabuto helmets," said the man in a familiar voice.

Nya's eyes widened. 50? That would take her 2 or 3 days.

"I'll…need time to make such an order. I only have a few kabuto helmets left." said Nya.

"I will only pay for them if I have them by tomorrow." said the man.

Nya sighed and closed the shop behind him. She was going to be up all night at this rate. She had better get started. A customer was a customer.


	3. Chapter 3: Rescue

Nya blinked hard trying to stay awake. She no longer knew what time it was. All she knew was it was late and she still had to fill in the enormous order by opening time tomorrow morning. She was only two thirds done, over the hump, but nowhere near being able to sleep.

"Did you ever have to deal with this Dad?" Nya asked aloud.

But she knew she'd get no answer. Her parents were dead. Her brother and boyfriend was miles away. She was alone. It didn't matter how much she needed answers, or better yet, help, that was a fact she could not change.

Nya took a deep breath and continued. She had long lost track of what time it was. She was absorbed in the routine or making the helmets: heat the metal, hammer the shape, heat the metal, hammer the shape, heat the metal, hammer the shape, heat the metal, hammer the shape.

Hours later the darkness faded. Light began to beam through the shop window as the sun came up. The light made Nya's head hurt and her eyes feel weaker. She still had 10 helmets to go.

9…

8…

7…

6…

5…

4…

3…

2…

1…

She was done!

And just in time to open the shop. Nya wasn't sure how she would run it, though. She felt slightly dizzy and could barely keep her eyes open. Nonetheless, she opened the doors of her store.

A few minutes later, the robed customer from before came in.

"Did you finish the order?" he asked in his strange voice.

Nya barely managed to smile, "Yes sir."

"Seems suck a tall order tired you out," said the cloaked man.

"I'm okay," Nya assured him, "I'm sure my dad did high orders like this too and he was fine."

"You don't have to lie to me…I will take you to rest," said the man coming closer.

Nya's heart pounded with fear. What was going on?

"NINJAAAGO!"

Suddenly a tornado of fire rammed into the cloaked man knocking him into the wall. The cloak flew off revealing the man to be of bone. It was a skeleton from the underworld! And it didn't take Nya long to figure out so were the other strange customers. The cloaks were to hide who they were.

Jay ran to Nya's side as Kai battled the skeleton.

"Are you okay?" Jay asked.

"More or less," Nya replied, grabbing a dagger.

She aimed carefully and threw it. Its impact sent the skeleton's head spinning, giving her brother an advantage. Kai then punched upward lifting the skeleton into the air from the force and Jay gave a kick sending the skeleton out the window.

"Thanks guys. How did you know I was in trouble?" Nya asked.

"We saw a couple skeletons in the woods laughing over a plan to capture you after exhausting you," said Kai, "Looks like they succeeded in part 1 of their plan. You look awful."

"I think she looks perfect, even when she is tired," said Jay in a slightly dazed voice.

Nya let out a shy smile, enjoying the compliment.

"I'm okay," she said, "At least I got a good amount of money out of it, look."

She opened one of the bags the skeletons had given her, and Kai and Jay peered in.

"Uh…Nya…" Kai reached in and took out a small flat pebble.

They hadn't paid her at all for all her hard work.

Nya dropped the bag. Pebbles spilled all over the floor. All that work for nothing! Nya couldn't bear it. She had been pushing her breaking point and holding up her best smile the whole time. All for a few hundred pebbles.

Nya fell to her knees and broke into sobs.

Jay hugged her shaking body.

Kai pet her shoulder, "C'mon sis. At least they didn't steal any money. You're no further behind in raising enough money to sell the shop."

But Nya kept crying. She leaned heavily against Jay unable to say a word through her tears and fatigue.

Fatigue. That was the worst part.

Right now she just wanted to sleep, and wake up finding it had all been a bad dream.

So she fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4: Recovering with Friends

Nya awoke to find she wasn't in the shop. She was surrounded by trees and lying near a camp fire. Soft blanket covered her.

Nya sat up and wearily rubbed her eyes. Cole was sitting by the fire and turned to look at her when she moved.

"Hey Nya. Feeling better?" he asked.

"Yeah. A lot," Nya replied sitting up, "How long was I asleep?"

"A few hours," Cole told her, "You were already out like a light when Jay and Kai brought you here. What exactly happened?"

Nya told the story of the cloaked customers asking for odd things and the final one keeping her up all night making helmets and how Kai and Jay revealed them to be skeletons and how she had been paid in pebbles the whole time.

Cole listened nodding.

"Sounds like it's a good thing Jay and Kai got there when they did," said Cole.

"Where are they anyway, and Zane?" Nya asked.

"Looking for more fire wood. They asked me to keep an eye on you. On that note let me get you something to eat." Cole replied.

"Thanks, I'm starving," Nya said gratefully.

Cole handed Nya some Imoni. The broth was thick with potatoes and meat. Whoever had made this (and judging by the taste it wasn't Cole) had not held back to make sure she regained her strength.

"I'll head back once I finish," said Nya between bites, "I have to run the shop still."

"Sorry, can't let you do that. Zane said before he left that you needed a break from running the shop. From what you told me, I think his sixth sense was right on." said Cole.

"But I need to make up for what happened," said Nya, "I'm getting close. I can't give up now."

"You're not giving up. You're just taking a break," said Cole, "And you're not any further behind in raising the money you need. The skeletons didn't steal anything except your strength. The only way to get that back is to rest up."

"Won't you guys get in trouble with Sensei Wu?" Nya asked.

"We already talked to Sensei about this. Zane and I confronted him when Kai and Jay left. He said as ninjas we had to do what we could to help you. I think this classifies as that." Cole assured her.

Nya knew she was beaten. To be honest she was a little glad of it. She was looking forward to getting some much needed rest.

"There's just one thing I still don't understand," she said.

"Why you didn't think of calling us for help sooner?" came Zane's voice.

Nya turned to see him, Kai, and Jay returning with the firewood.

"No Zane. I didn't ask for your guys' help because I didn't want to interrupt your training…which I guess happened anyway. I don't understand why the skeletons went through so much trouble to fake pay me," she said.

"Probably not to arouse suspicion," said Kai, "How are you feeling, sis?"

"Better, thanks. I don't know what would have happened if you two hadn't shown up when you did."

"Forgive us for not knowing about the danger sooner," said Zane.

"It's fine. But I still can't believe I got tricked like that," said Nya, "Dad always said everyone was a customer and I was trying to follow that…but in the end it all fell apart."

"I'm pretty sure Dad didn't mean evil skeletons that want Lord Garmadon to return," said Kai, "You should be more careful about who you serve next time."

Nya nodded, "I guess you're right."

"The lesson is learned," said Zane, "Rest and recover now."

Footnote to the reviewer: Thank you or the request. I hope you found this nya story humorous enough even if it did take a sadder tone in chapter 3.


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